Monday, 2 July 2018

Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - St. Thomas Apostle of India - Will you believe even when you cannot see?

Thomas the
Apostle, also called Didymus (meaning "Twin," as does
"Thomas" in Aramaic") was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.
He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman Empire to preach the
Gospel. He is also believed to have crossed the largest area, which includes
the Parthian Empire and India.

The text
chosen for the Feast of St. Thomas from the Gospel is often mistakenly referred
to as that of “Doubting Thomas”. However, that is a misnomer. Jesus does not
use the word doubt in these verses. Rather, Jesus chides Thomas for being
unbelieving. The story focuses on the grounds of faith. Thomas seeks tangible
proof which the disciples are unable to provide. Jesus provides this for Thomas
and in so doing asks him to move from unbelief to faith.

Thomas does
not touch the hands and side of Jesus as Jesus invites him to do, but responds
with the highest acclamation or title for Jesus anywhere in the New Testament.
Thomas sees God fully revealed in Jesus. This is why Jesus is for Thomas “My
Lord and my God!”

The
Beatitude or blessing pronounced by Jesus on future generations’ states that
having seen Jesus is not a prerequisite for faith. One must first believe in
order to see.

About Me

There are four maxims I try to live by. The first is to ALWAYS have CHOICES about everything. The more choices I have, the less the chances of my being disappointed.
The Second is that I try to see my REWARD in the doing of the action itself. I will expect nothing from anyone in return and even expect the very ones I have helped to be ungrateful. It does not matter. I do not mind.
The third is that every stage in my life I try to KNOW where my authority ends. This saves a lot of bother. I am not the General Manager of the Universe. I do what I have to do and leave the rest to God.
The fourth is a readiness to face the consequences of my action. When I make a gaffe I am willing to rectify it and apologize. However, if it cannot be rectified I am ready to face the penalty.